Designing Workplaces for Now and the Future

As the lockdown restrictions are easing, more businesses are thinking about how they can reopen or increase their workplace capacity. Implementing a strategy will give businesses structure and guidance towards creating their new normal and assurance that they are making the right decisions.

 

 

Here is a 5 step strategy that has been created to get your business back up and running safely:

 

1.       Who returns to the workplace and who works from home?

Combining the results from a role assessment with a staff survey is going to determine what employees are able to stay working from home and those who need to return to the office. Some job roles might require the resources that can only be accessed in the office while others might not have a suitable home working environment.

 

2.       What measures do you have in place?

Carrying out a workplace risk assessment specifically focusing on the impact that COVID has had on the workplace will identify what is missing from the current measures you have in place. Getting your office deep cleaned before your staff return as well as increasing your cleaning operations during the working day are a couple of measures to introduce as 44% of workers are worried about hygiene in the office.

 

3.       Where does this affect the office and home office?

Action is the most important step and so the results from Step 1 and Step 2 will uncover what you need to implement and where. Office layouts will need adapting to accommodate the social distancing guidelines so a new design or space-plan will need to be created. Those working at home will need a Display Screen Equipment Assessment carried out to ensure their home working environment is safe for them to work from.

 

4.       When will the office be at full capacity again?

Working out whether the actions you are making are short-term company changes and just adapting to the current health pandemic, or if your decisions are based on a longer-term business strategy. A temporary plan could be to utilise the empty space your office has created by the decreased capacity of staff and generate some cash flow by sub-letting the space. A more permanent change could be a result of having more employees working from home and needing to relocate to a smaller office premises.

 

5.       Why do we need support?

60% of people are worried about the future and the added stress of running a business is only making this worry harder to manage. Know that you aren’t alone and seeking support will ensure the changes you make are done right and made once.

 

Workplace consultancy is a service that provides solutions that are relevant to your business while ensuring your employees are happy and that productivity doesn’t slip. It’s important to be flexible, especially now, when responding to change and communicate the changes you are making to everyone.

 

For more information about creating a strategy like this and implementing the changes into your business, download the e-book here.

 

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